Ratchet wrench with segmented socket and separable socketreceiving jaws



July 27, 1948. J. T. POWELL 2,445,969

RATCHET WRENCH WITH SEGMENTED SOCKET AND SEPARABLE SOCKET-RECEIVING JAWS Filed March 25, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor Jzrmes ZPozuel/ By @mwiiu July 27, 1948. J T POWELL 2,445,969-

, RATCHET WRENCH WITH SEGMENTED SOCKET AND SEPARABLE SOCKET-RECEIVING JAWS Filed March 23, 1945 r 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor ,J avzes fpozue 1/,

Attorneys Patented July 27, 1948 UNITED STATES OFFICE RATCHET WRENCH WITH SEGMENTED- SOCKET AND .SEPARABLE' SOCKET- RECEIVING JAWS James T. PowelLAtoka, Tenn.

Application March 23, 1945, Serial No. 584,289

said jaws to be spread apart to straddle and slip over the work and finally returned to close proximity with one another to grip and turn the work.

A wrench of the type herein disclosed is espedesiredgripping and turning results. Therefore,

and keeping in mind these disadvantages, I have devised a special type wrench which performs satisfactorily and which is usable to advantage in 2 Claims. (01. 81'-60) places which would be considered inaccessible with ordinary wrenches. i

i In carrying out the specific structural principles of the invention, I utilize a wrench haVing a special head construction with one fixed jaw and one relatively movable jaw, the two jaws serving to accommodate interchangeable and selectively usable sockets.

A further feature has to do with the adoption and use of sockets made up of companion halfsections, these being of special construction and mounted in the jaws for practical usefulness and also being readily insertable andremovable for socket exchange purposes.

Other: features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the followin description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like umerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a ratchet wrench constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention showing the jaws closed.

Figure 2 is an edge elevational view of the same.

Figure 3 is a plan view, like Figure 1, but show ing the jaws spread apart to open positions.

Figure lis a View similar to Figure 1 with parts appearing in section to brin out the construction and relationship thereof.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken approximately on the plane of the line 5-5 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 6 is a horizontal section taken on the plane of the line 66 of Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows,

2 Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of the de- Referring to the drawings by distinguishin reference numerals, the numeral [0 designates an appropriate handle having a substantially dovetail shaped head II. The head is bifurcated and the furcations 12 are. fashioned to form a mount and slideway. for a toothed rackebar l3, this having keying ribs [4 to which a lateral arm I5 is connected. The outer end of the arm l5 has an integral, semi-circular jaw member [6, which may be conveniently referred to as a socket adapter. Referring again to the head II, it will be observed that it, is provided-with a lateral flange or extension I! terminating in a jawjmember lfia corresponding to the jaw member or adapter 16. Incidentally, the head is also pro.- vided with a suitably mounted worm l 8 which engages the rack teeth to feed the niovable jaw member in. and out. Referring to Figure 5, itwill be seen that the jaw adapter or member Ilia is provided with. an outstandingcylinder 19 to accommodate a slidable plunger 20-. having, a knurled operatin knob 2| at its outer end. The plunger is forced in by a suitably mounted coiled spring 22. i The extreme inner end of the plunger is fashioned into aratchet tooth. i

I call attention at this point to the special internal construction of the jaw adapters lfirand lEa. Each is the same in construction, and a description of one willsufiice for both, Referring, then, to Figure 5, each adapter is of shelllike form and is provided at its top with a turnedin semi-circular flange 23, and at the bottom with a similar turnedin semi-circular flange. 24. Spaced inwardly from and arranged parallelto the flange 24 is a companion flange 2-5 and said flanges 24 and 25 coact in forming an annular channel-likekeyway. The numeral 26, in each instance designates a semi-circularsocket assembly cleat'which is rigidlyfastened in place on the inner; perimeter edge of the flange 24. and is spaced from the corresponding perimeter edge at the fiange 25; l j i I next call attention to the removable socket (see Fig. '7). This'is denoted, as aiunit, by'the numeral 21 and is made up of duplicate semicircular half-sections 28. Each half-sectionis provided with an outstanding ratchet segment which; rides in the annular chamber formed be tween the flanges 23 and 25 '(see Figure: 5'). Each section 28 is also provided with a bottom flange 30, and this constitutes a key and is movable in the keyway provided between the flanges 24 and 25. When the jaws are closed, the ratchet seg- 3 ments 29 combine and coact in forming a complete ratchet wheel with which the ratchet tooth on the plunger 20 is engageable. The cleats 26 come together and as a guard and coact with the half sections 28 and said flanges 24 and 25 in retaining the socket sections in place.

It is desirable, from time to time, to change or exchange the sockets, and this is done as shown in Figure 3. That is to say, with the jaws spaced apart it is necessary to turn the section 28 in each jaw member approximately through 180 degrees and directly coacting with the teeth of the rackin order to slip it out for replacement. The re placement sockets are standardized, but the diameters of the work-embracing surfaces will vary to take care of jobs of different sizes.

It is evident that, in use, the worm l8 feeds bar for adjusting the latter, an arm extending angularly from said rack-bar and terminating in a work-engaging jaw member, and a second jaw the movable jaw, by way of the rack-bar, to open and closed positions. With the jaws open, they Will then straddle the work and after they are properly located, they are then closed, as shown in Figure 1, for operation like any similar constructed ratchet wrench.

Referring again to Figure 7, it will be observed that the said View is employed to bring out the details of construction of the two-part or sectional socket. In actual practice, I will provide various sizes of sockets but these will have to be made to fit the fixed proportions of the respective jaw members in which the socket sections are removably mounted. Also, it will be noted that the inner surfaces of the upper half portions of the sections 28 are corrugated and are therefore sufficiently rough to obtain anti-slipping grips on the work. On the other hand, the central and lower-half portions of the inner surfaces of the respective sections are smooth to permit same to fit in movable contact with the assembling and retaining cleats 26 as brought out advantageously in Figure 5.

It is thought that persons skilled in the art to Whichthe invention relates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the invention after considering the description in. connection with the drawings; Therefore, a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Minor changes in the shape, size and arrangement of details coming within the field of inventionclaimed may be resorted to in actual practice, if desired.

I claim: r

l. A wrench comprisin a handle having a head, said head being bifurcated and the furcations being in spaced parallelism and grooved to provide a keyway, a toothed rack-bar slidable in said keyway, a worm mountedfor use in said head and directly coacting with the teeth of the rackbar for adjusting the latter, an arm extending angularly from saidrack-bar and terminating in a work-engaging jaw member, and a second jaw member, the last-named jaw member being integrally connected by an extension with said head, said jaw members being semi-circular in crosssectional form and, when brought together, forming an elongated cylindrical sectional socket holder, each jaw member having laterally directed end flanges and an intermediate flange intervening between the two end flanges, said intervening flange coactin with an adjacent one of the end flanges in defining between itself and the latter a substantially semi-circular channelway and coacting with the remaining end flange in defining a semi-circular keyway, and a semimember, the last-named jaw member being integrally connected by an extension with said head, said jaw members being semi-circular in crosssectional form and, when brought together, forming an elongated cylindrical sectional socket holder, each jaw member having laterally directed end flanges and an intermediate flange intervening between the two end flanges, said intervening flange coacting with an adjacent one of the end flanges in defining between itself and the latter a substantially semi-circular channelway and coacting with the remaining end flange in defining a semi-circular keyway, and a semi-circular cleat attached to said last-named end flange and spanning said keyway and spaced from the inner curvate edge of said intermediate flange and constituting assembling means for a complemental socket section, and a sectional cylindrical work gripping socket mounted for rotation in said holder, the sections of said socket being respectively assembled in said jaw members, each section embodying a semi-circular body portion having an externally disposed semi-circular, outstanding ratchet segment located midway of the transverse ends of said section, having a semicircular outstanding keying flange at one transverse end, parallel to and spaced from said ratchet segment, the upper inner surface portions of said sections having gripping teeth and the lower inner surface portions of said sections being smooth, the lower portions of said sections being movably confined in their operative positions in said jaw members by said cleats with the keyingflanges situated in said keyways and ratchet segments in said channelways, and a spring retained ratcheting plunger mounted for use on one of said jaw members and having its inner end engaging said ratchet segments.

JAMES T. POWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS -Date l the Great Britain Nov.,30, 1915 

